Trials of Camaraderie
by Himesayuri Phoenix
Summary: Hotaru: Genin Years 1. The Academy Graduation test is approaching, but Hotaru and her friends come to realize, as all ninja must, that there is far more going on beneath the surface than they first see.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:

May as well say this again, just to be explicit:

Hotaru and any characters not expressly mentioned below are all © Me

Sutiibu-sensei design © me, the concept of the character came from both me and DeviantArt's 1387 Tortures (based on our TKD instructor :D)

Nariko and Rai design © me;

Nariko, Rai, Jomei, and Shiro characters © Rising Black Rose and myself (most of the credit belongs to her – please read her accompanying stories!)

Garuki © :dev1387Tortures, used with permission

Naruto and all of the ninja concepts from it © Masashi Kishimoto

Trials of Camaraderie:

A Ninja's Tale

(Hotaru: The Genin Years, Story One)

"Can you believe Honu-sensei's face when Jomei attacked that log that had been transformed to look like Shiro?"

"I know! I thought he'd pass out…until it turned back into a log."

All of my friends laughed.

Friends…it had a nice ring to it. I didn't have many, even then; but after four years at the Academy, those few that had stuck by me through everything were even more precious.

We were walking outside the training grounds: me, Garuki, Shiro, and Nariko, with her hippo summon Rai trailing not far behind as always. Jomei was still at the Academy, serving out his punishment by cleaning erasers. He had always been the prankster of the class; he didn't mind the punishment as long as fun was to be had first.

It reminded me of something. "Hey, Garuki. Do you remember the first time I met Jomei?"

He nodded, though he wasn't smiling as I was. "Yes. Thanks to him and his 'no girl ninja' theories, you almost got so lonely that you quit Academy."

I frowned. "You don't need to think of it like that, Garuki-chan. I see it this way: look at how much he's changed for the better since then. It's almost funny, when you think of what a big deal he made of 'cooties' back then. I'd never have guessed we'd be friends."

Garuki grinned. "I'm just glad you two can get along now. It makes things much easier for me!"

"Anyway," I said, "it wasn't his fault I was lonely, only that I never got to play with you. The rest was thanks to Aiko-san…"

Thanks to Aiko-san, the people in my small group of friends were still the only ones in class to speak to me…taunting aside.

"Hey, look over there," said Nariko. She pointed through the fence to the training grounds. Several teams of Genin-ranked ninjas were performing various exercised, supervised by their Jounin instructors. We stopped to watch.

"They're all so good. They must have been Genin for awhile now, don't you think?" wondered Shiro.

"Actually, I can say that for sure," said Nariko.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I know why they're all in there. They're training for the Chuunin Selection Exam. So it's not likely that any of them are rookies, and all of them are at least experience enough to apply for Chuunin rank."

I blinked. "Oh."

"What's more, these are the very best of that group. The first two parts of the exam took place in Hidden Sand about two weeks ago. These few groups of Genin were the only ones good enough to make it into the final third exam. That tournament isn't for another week – that's why they're training so hard."

We all stared at her. She was still watching the Genin.

"Nariko-chan…how do you know these things?" Garuki asked in an awed tone.

She smiled and shrugged. "I listen. That's all."

Shiro pointed. "Then can you tell me who that is?" He gestured to a blond girl dressed entirely in red and black, manipulating an impressive number of wires and throwing kunai at the same time. Her "victim" appeared to be a tree trunk. It was decimated.

"I don't know," was all that Nariko said.

I was so entranced by the girl's techniques that I failed entirely to notice her teammates and instructor…until her sensei called a halt, and brought them together.

"Garuki-chan, look! It's Sutiibu-san!"

Sure enough, the girl's instructor was none other than the ex-ANBU and my brother's savior, Sutiibu-san. The girl stood with her two male teammates, listening intently to instructions. Nearby stood a silver-haired boy, obviously not much older than the others, wearing a Chuunin flak-jacket and crossing his arms, bored.

"Sutiibu's group…of course they would be incredibly talented…wait, I know who that girl is," Garuki said suddenly. "Her name is Takeyoshi Katana. She was the number one rookie two years ago."

"Two years ago, ne?" Shiro said. "It's a wonder she isn't a Chuunin already, in that case."

"It's a rule that Sutiibu-sensei has for his students," said Nariko. "They must train for two years before entering. I don't think he's ever had a student fail, thanks to that."

We stared at her again, but this time we were smart enough not to bother asking how she knew.

Garuki yawned. "Come on, let's go get some ramen at Ichiraku or something. I'm sure my aunt and uncle will give us a discount."

Intrigued, we all followed him as he walked in toward town.

"So, if the final of the Chuunin Exam is in a week...a bunch of Genin will become Chuunin, right?" reasoned Shiro.

"I'm sure some of them will," said Garuki. "This is still such a small village that Yukikage always picks a bunch of them to move up, since we need more higher-ranked ninja."

Then I understood why Shiro had asked. "Wait…if those Genin become Chuunin, then they'll need more Genin, won't they?"

Nariko smiled. "You hadn't heard? The Academy graduation exam is next week."

We sat at Ichiraku Ramen, considering the upcoming exam.

Nariko sat at the end of the bar, her hippo on the ground beside her. She twirled some ramen noodles up in her chopsticks and fed them to Rai, who slurped them noisily and thanked her. I found that I wasn't hungry.

"Don't worry about it, Hotaru. All of us are really good. I'm sure we'll all pass," said Nariko distractedly as she fed her hippo. Garuki, sitting next to me, nodded enthusiastically and continued to sip his beef ramen in contentment.

"Sure," I said. But I remembered my grades. We had been given our class ranks earlier that morning. I pulled mine out of my pocket and unfolded it.

Garuki may have been perfectly happy, but he knew me well enough to understand something was bothering me.

He looked over my shoulder. Nariko had begun a conversation with Shiro; Garuki spoke quietly so they wouldn't overhear. "You've really improved a lot, Hotaru-chan. I remember when you were ranked last out the class in Genjutsu."

I sighed, staring at the paper.

_Name: Yoruhana Hotaru_

_Subject Rank_

_Theory and_

_Strategy:2_

_Taijutsu:9_

_Ninjutsu:15_

_Genjutsu: 21_

_Practical _

_Skills:5_

_Weapons:23_

"Garuki-chan, you know the only reason I'm not still dead last in Genjutsu is because I'm good at seeing and dispelling them. I couldn't actually perform one to save my life. Meanwhile, my weapons have only gotten worse since I was younger, and I have such a small amount of chakra that even when though I can do the ninjutsu, they're never really powerful or long-lasting. If we have to do a technique for the exam, I'll probably fail."

Garuki looked at me. "You're better than you think, okay? You'll be fine. Now eat some of that ramen, it's really good!"

I smiled. It didn't matter if he was right or not; he always made me feel better.

The following day, the exam was announced; it took place on the morning of the last day of class that week. Honu-sensei, Kaoru-sensei, and a couple of unfamiliar Jounin sat at a table at the head of the room, papers in front of them, ready to take notes. All of us sat in our usual seats. I was fidgeting more than I'd like to admit. It surprised me that Aiko-san, sitting behind me, didn't comment.

Honu-sensei stood. "Class, I just want to start by saying that I have taught your class for four years now, and I believe every one of you is ready for this exam. However, it is not likely that all of you will pass; please do not get discouraged. There will be another test in six months."

Six months, while all of my friends were out on real missions, would be eternity.

"Now, we have decided this semester to hold the exam in two parts. In a moment, Juro-san and I will move into the next room. Kaoru-san will hand you the written exam. When you finish it, please return it to her and line up outside the door to the next room over. We will call you in one at a time."

There were murmurs throughout the class.

"Sensei, what do you mean, written exam? There's never a written exam!" said Jomei with a crestfallen look.

"We decided that because ninjas must be well-rounded, we should test your knowledge as well as your skill. Now, no complaining. Please begin…and good luck."

He and the Jounin named Juro walked out of the room, and Kaoru-sensei handed us the exams.

There was only one question, though it appeared complex.

_You and your teammates are on a mission in a forest and have been spilt up by an ambush attack from unseen ninjas. You travel quietly by ground while you search for your missing teammates. You hear the sounds of fighting close by and recognize the voices of your teammates in battle. Suddenly, before you can reach your teammates, three Sand ninjas jump from the trees and surround you. They remain at a distance from you. One of them uses a summoning technique and calls forth a badger demon twice your size. You recognize the beast as one with a strong sense of smell._

_Assume: You have twelve kunai, three yards of wire, one exploding tag, and a smoke bomb. You cannot summon your own beast to fight, nor do you have any Bloodline abilities, pets, or family techniques at your disposal. _

_Describe the best possible plan of attack to subdue the ninjas and beast, in order that you might reach your teammates to aid them. Please explain your reasoning._

I stared at the paper in disbelief. There was no way an Academy-level ninja would be able to answer the question. Clearly it was a situation which would occur on a B or A-ranked mission, since there were enemy ninjas and summons involved. Those were normally reserved for Chuunin, if not Jounin. And we had been taught nothing on the best ways to fight sand-based demon summons….

_Wait,_ I thought. _Sand-based? Sand ninjas?_

The Hidden Village of Sand was our ally.

I re-read the question. '_Ambush attack by _unseen_ ninjas…before you can reach your teammates…they remain at a distance from you…' That's it! _

Looking around me, most of the kids were making strange faces, biting on pencils or staring to the ceiling as if it would give them the answer. But I knew. I scribbled quickly:

The ninja in this situation is actually being held captive by a genjutsu (and a bad one, at that) because Sand is our ally and would not attack us. Also, we know it is a genjutsu because it was specifically cast on the ninja to distract her from reaching her teammates nearby, and because the "enemy ninjas" refuse to actually approach her even though they have the advantage. The best way to escape this situation would be to dispel the genjutsu using the command "Kai." Then, you should throw a smoke bomb to confuse the one ninja who must be nearby, who cast the genjutsu. While they cannot see you, you should make your way quickly to the aid of your friends.

Satisfied entirely with my answer, I handed in the test and walked next door. Looking back as I left, I saw Nariko and Shiro each scribbling answers on their paper. Garuki only gaped at me as he saw me leave. I was the first to do so.

"All right, Hotaru-chan. We're going to ask you to perform two techniques," said Honu-sensei. He didn't seem surprised that I was the first to arrive.

I nodded and tried to appear confident.

"For the first technique, we'd like you to demonstrate whatever ninjutsu you like the best or are most comfortable with; anything with a visible result, that is, so no Chakra Warmth no Jutsu."

I smiled a bit – I could just imagine Jomei trying to get away with that.

"All right," I said. "I'll do a transformation technique."

I looked around for something small to transform. A pencil lay on the desk.

I focused on it, formed the seals with my hands, molded the chakra, and said, "Henge no Jutsu!" The pencil became a tiny blue butterfly and floated above the desk.

I grinned as Honu-sensei looked on with pride. "It's awfully small, but still, very impressive work for a…" began Juro-san, but before he could finish his sentence, I felt my chakra weaken and lost my hold on the butterfly. It quickly became a pencil again and fell to the ground with a pitiful click.

Honu-sensei sighed as if he had expected it, and Juro-san frowned and wrote something on his paper.

"Now, for your second technique, we'd like to see your best replication jutsu…that is, as many replications as you can make, please."

The color drained from my face. I had worked too hard to make the Henge an impressive one with color and motion…it had eaten away at my small chakra supply. I knew how to replicate, but could only make two on the best day. At that point, with chakra used up, I knew I was in trouble.

I frowned, formed the seals, put in as much chakra as possible, and yelled, "Bunshin no Jutsu!"

There it was, beside me: a perfect copy of me. One perfect copy. And then it was gone.

I was out of breath.

The Jounin examined me without words, then made more notes on his sheet. Honu-sensei tried to give me a reassuring look before sending me on my way to wait in the hall for the test to finish.

I wasn't in the mood for talking. Garuki and Nariko sat on either side of me in the hallway. Both had asked me how I thought it had gone. I hadn't said a word.

All the students had finished; the Chuunin and Jounin who tested us had gathered in the room, compiling their results.

The door opened. "Yoruhana Hotaru?"

I looked up.

"Please come with me," said the Jounin I didn't know.

Garuki gave me a thumbs-up and a grin as I walked into the room. I heard Aiko-san laughing as well: "Guess who's going to be the first to fail?"

The door closed behind me and I stood before the teachers.

"As I'm sure you know, your ninjutsu were generally poor," said the Jounin. "While you can obviously perform them, you were not able to maintain them, or produce large transformations or multiple replications. That is a level far below that of your peers; considering you are a year older than them, we should certainly not pass you."

I blinked back tears and nodded; it was what I had expected.

"However…" said Kaoru-sensei. I looked up. "However, you were one of only four students to correctly and completely answer the written exam question. Because you are obviously quite intelligent, and have routinely done well in your theory exams, we have decided you would make an excellent teacher some day. Of course, to do that, you have to make it all the way to Chuunin rank first."

I wasn't sure what she meant.

Honu-sensei explained. "We feel that, because it is the practical skills you lack instead of the knowledge, the best way for you to improve would be to practice actual skills in the field, instead of remaining in the Academy and practicing them on paper."

"Of course, you will have to be well-supervised," put in Juro-san.

"Wait…you mean, I pass?"

"Congratulations," said Honu-sensei with the infectious smile I had grown to love. He handed me a beautiful, shiny new forehead protector engraved with the snowflake that represented our village. "Today, Hotaru-chan, you become a Genin."

"I told you not to worry," said Nariko with a smile. We had shared a small apartment for a year at that point, and she sat on the couch in our common living room, next to Rai, as I rushed to get myself ready. I was supposed to meet Garuki at Ichiraku Ramen in only minutes.

I admit I was surprised when Nariko had asked me to be her roommate, considering her solitary tendencies, but it had worked out very well. Since we each had our own bedroom, she had somewhere to go to be alone; meanwhile, I had the roommate I had been craving since I moved to the village.

"Maybe so," I said, "but it's not like they seemed really happy about promoting me."

"In any case, all of us passed," she reminded me. "Anyway," she said as I slipped on my sandals and headed out the door, "have a good time on your date."

I looked over my shoulder. "It's not a date, Nariko-chan. It's Garuki-kun. He's my best friend."

She smiled. "Whatever."

I shook my head and hurried out the door, only pausing to call "Ittekimasu!"

"Itterasshai!" was the last thing I heard before the door closed behind me.

Garuki was already waiting for me when I arrived. Since his uncle ran the ramen shop, he said the meal was on him, as a means of congratulating us for our promotion. Garuki wore his head-protector prominently across his forehead; mine was tied to my belt loops on the left side of my pants, easy to see but out of the way.

The ramen had extra special ingredients, on the house, and it was totally delicious. Garuki and I reveled in how well the day had gone for awhile; I tried not to think of how close it had been – how I knew I should probably have stayed in the Academy.

Garuki was too content to worry about anything. Naturally, I was the one who thought of it first.

"Garuki-kun…tomorrow they're going to place us on three-person Genin teams. We're going to be split up."

He stared at me, and slurped up the noodle hanging from his mouth. "Wow. That's right. I forgot."

I stared at my bowl and frowned. "Garuki-kun…we've been together since the moment I came to this village. Aside from that first month or so, we've been friends the whole time."

He nodded. "Super special best friends."

"So…what happens when we aren't together anymore?"

He thought about it. "I suppose we'll still be best friends."

"How do you know?"

"Well…because I couldn't imagine it any other way."

The next morning I woke up and put on the new outfit I had made for the day I became a Genin. It was a silver-blue kimono cut at the waist, tied with a decorative kimono bow, with forest green Capri-length cargo pants. It was incredibly comfortable and, I thought, very stylish. I tied my head protector to the belt loops again before leaving the bedroom.

Nariko had obviously woken up much earlier; by the time I joined her in the common room, breakfast was on the table and she and Rai were ready to leave. We ate quickly and made our way to the Genin meeting, in the old Academy room. All but about five of our classmates were there.

Honu-sensei stood before us with his incredible grin, more proud than he had ever been. "I want to congratulate you all once again on becoming Genin. Now that you are all here, I need to go over some important information with you."

He lectured us for awhile on responsibility and the normal duties of Genin, as well as our new training schedule aside from missions. Then he took out a box containing small slips of paper and began handing them out.

"On this slip of paper is your name, the number of your new Genin team, and the time and location in which your Jounin instructor has asked you to first meet with him or her. Please look carefully, as some of the meetings will take place as soon as a half an hour from now. Good luck, do your best, and remember to visit me from time to time!"

I received my paper.

_Genin Name: Yoruhana Hotaru Team Number: 9 _

The meeting was to be at the bridge over the north fork of the stream which ran through town, in two hours.

I looked at Nariko. "What's your team?"

"Team Six. You?"

"Team Nine," I said sadly.

Shiro and Jomei were cheering across the room. "Rock on, we're both on Team Six!" Jomei shouted. "The Unstoppable Duo stays together!"

Nariko blinked. "That's interesting."

I smiled. "Good thing Garuki introduced us to those two, huh? Now you're not on a team with strangers." I have to admit, though, I was jealous. They may not have been the best of friends, but Nariko got along with those two well enough. I just knew it; I would be placed with Aiko-san.

"Hotaru-chan." It was Garuki; he had walked up behind me.

"Yeah?"

"Did I hear you say Team Nine?"

"Yep."

He grinned. "Me, too."

Garuki and I walked to the meeting spot together, smiling and laughing the whole way. We hadn't managed to locate our third teammate, but at that point, it didn't matter to me. As long as I had my best friend, nothing could bring me down. Not even Aiko-san.

We approached the bridge so see a brown-haired Jounin dressed in black with a silver flak-jacket. He was talking somewhat sternly to a blond girl dressed mostly in red; her Chakra Warmth no Jutsu must have been strong, since she wore shorts and her shirt was almost more fishnet than fabric. Her head protector had red fabric as well, and was tied around her leg. She leaned against the bridge railing, arms crossed and eyes downcast.

"I understand that you are angry. However, they both outperformed you, and I think you know that. In any case, Yukikage knows you are a strong fighter; it's your temper that worries her. Chuunin are team leaders, more often than not; she feels that you are too short-tempered to make a good leader."

"Kane was a Chuunin by the time he was ten! Surely you can't tell me that a ten-year-old makes a fabulous team leader. As far as I'm concerned, Yukikage-_sama _plays favorites."

"That's exactly the attitude that got you here," the Jounin growled. "The Yukikage would never do anything that threatened this village or any of its ninja. You know that….Oh, hello!" Finally he noticed our presence, as Garuki and I stood behind him on the bridge. He turned, rubbing the back of his head with his arm apologetically.

"I say, really sorry about that. I didn't hear you walk up."

I stared. "Sutiibu-san!"

Garuki was smiling next to me.

"Ah, yes, that is my name," Sutiibu-san said, grinning. "Of course, you knew that. Just the way I know who you both are. However, we still must make introductions. First of all, now I am Sutiibu-_sensei, _I suppose."

We nodded.

"Who are the kids?" the girl asked, without looking up.

Sutiibu laughed. "Of course. Katana, these two are Mikata Garuki and Yoruhana Hotaru. Garuki, Hotaru, I'd like you to meet your new Genin teammate: Takeyoshi Katana."


	2. Chapter 2

Trials of Camaraderie

Chapter 2

The girl's head snapped upwards, short blond hair swinging in her eyes as they stared us down. She addressed, however, Sutiibu-sensei.

"What did you say?"

"Eheh, well, you see, since both your Genin teammates passed the Chuunin Exam, Katana, we needed to get you some new teammates. And these are them. Don't worry, I picked them myself, you will all work quite well together." He smiled questioningly.

Katana stood. "There is no way I'm going to put up with loser rookies as teammates. I was the Number One Rookie, and that was nearly three years ago! I will absolutely not act as a babysitter and be held back by these two!"

I glanced at Garuki nervously.

"Better than having Aiko-san as your teammate, I guess," he said under his breath.

I wasn't so sure.

"Well…she's really talented, anyway," he added.

Sutiibu and Katana were still arguing.

"Katana-chan, I told you, they are really quite good for rookies," Sutiibu tried.

"Don't Katana-chan me, sensei. I know how it works. You balance out the ability levels on the teams. Since I was a Number One, then one of these two is only average, and the other must be pretty near the bottom of class." She looked at Garuki, then at me. "You look older, so I'll assume it's him."

"That's not true!" I shouted. "Garuki-kun's a great ninja! He can even do a summon already!"

Katana sneered. "Then the loser must be you."

Garuki protested on my behalf, but I was the one who charged at her. Looking back, it was probably foolish…but I did it anyway.

Then, Sutiibu-sensei was between us. The playful, uncertain friend of a teacher was gone – there was fire now in his crystal blue eyes, and his expression was hard.

"That's it," he said. I understood now why I didn't recognize the growling Jounin when we first reached the bridge; never had I seen him like that.

"That is it," he repeated. "Hotaru-chan, you have never been one to rush into a conflict, and I do not expect that to start now. Katana…" He stood tall and faced her. "If you would rather not work with these two, then we can simply send you back to the Academy. And no," he emphasized as her eyes grew wide, "I am not joking."

She backed off. I don't know for sure, but I think it was fear that I saw in her eyes and posture just then.

_So_, I thought. _This is what a real Jounin is like._ My respect for Sutiibu in that moment grew so much, I doubt there would have been any way to respect him more.

"Sensei…" Katana said quietly, "…what about the test? Like we had when…"

"Please do not speak of that, Katana. Of course it will not be necessary, since I know these two and you already."

She frowned, like there was something she did not understand, but was quiet.

"Now," said Sutiibu, childlike smile returning to his face faster than it had left, "Shall we go celebrate? Perhaps we can get something to eat while I tell you the news. We already have a mission, and it will begin tomorrow!"

The mission was simple enough in theory: enemy ninjas had been spotted nearby lately. We were to act as scouts around the village, keeping an eye out for spies or attackers. We were not to engage any enemy ninja, only report on their existence or whereabouts.

"Hold on," I said in between bites of yakitori. Sutiibu had treated us to dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in town, although he warned us not to expect it often.

"Yes?"

"That doesn't sound like a D-rank mission. Not even a C-ranked one, for that matter. Are you sure we're the team that should be doing this?"

"You know, she has a point," said Katana, who was sitting beside Sutiibu on the opposite side of the table. "An unknown amount of enemy ninjas, from an unknown territory, and at an unknown skill level? That's a ridiculous amount to leave to chance. A team of Chuunin and Jounin would make more sense, in this case."

Sensei grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, when you think about it, I'm a Jounin, and Katana, your techniques are easily Chuunin level. You've done several B-ranked missions."

"Sure, with my old team!" she said. "These two are barely out of Academy."

Sutiibu just shrugged again, and went back to eating his rice. Katana frowned slightly, examining him. Whatever was bothering her, she must have let it slide, because she too applied herself to her meal.

"So," Garuki said after several minutes of quiet. "Hotaru and I know each other, but wouldn't it be helpful if we examined our strengths and weaknesses as a team? Especially before such a dangerous-sounding mission," he added.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Sutiibu-sensei dug around in his bag, and after several minutes of searching (in which we simply looked on curiously) he pulled out some cards. "I had these made up for you."

Two cards went to Katana, one to Garuki and I. Upon examination, I found it to be an information card on Katana. I assumed that she had ours.

Garuki and I looked it over, talking quietly.

"Seven B-rank missions?" he said. "That's incredible for a Genin."

"Not bad stats for a Chuunin, for that matter," I pointed out. "Look here…it seems she's a weapons expert. 'Excellent with any type of weapon but prefers a combination of wires with kunai or shuriken. Also likes techniques which involve the use of ninjutsu to manipulate weapons.'"

Katana looked up from her cards. "The wire thing I learned. The weapons ninjutsu I developed by myself." She looked at the cards again, then back at me. "Obviously I don't need to worry about _you_ copying them." She glanced at Garuki. "A double summon, really?"

Garuki shrugged. "It's not so great. I can call either the butterflies or the wolves, but I can't use them at the same time yet. Grandma's still working with me."

"Ah." She went back to the cards.

After awhile, she set them down and looked at Sutiibu. "You can't be serious. You're not taking kids at that level on a mission like this."

Sutiibu sighed. "Katana-san, we have no choice. You know how small the village is, and most of our best ninjas are patrolling the country borders right now. It will be dangerous, of course, but you must trust your teammates. Now," he stood up, "please get yourselves to your houses and rest well. We will meet at the bridge tomorrow an hour before sunrise."

He smiled at our stunned expressions. "Have a nice night!"

"I still haven't seen anything."

"Me either," said Garuki. "If they'd give me a minute, I could use my surveillance technique."

The four of us were moving through the trees surrounding the Snow Village walls. It seemed to me that Sutiibu was moving a bit too fast for reconnaissance work; at the same time, it wasn't my place to question a Jounin.

"Ah, surveillance technique? I'd forgotten!" Sutiibu-san said, as he came to a quick halt and leapt onto the ground below. We followed suit, and stood waiting for a command.

"Does he forget everything?" I whispered to Katana.

She rolled her eyes.

"Now, Garuki-chan, you may use that technique of yours on the ground right here. I thought I heard something nearby, however; you three won't mind if I go take a look?"

We shook our heads and he was gone before I could blink.

Garuki took a scroll out of his pack and unwound it. With a kunai tip, he split open his finger, ran the blood across the scroll, then formed some seals with his hands. He was very quick with his seals; I wished I'd be able to emulate his speed some day.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu! Titi Special Double Summon: Surveillance Technique!"

A cloud of green, white, and camouflage-colored butterflies, each with tiny kunais, radios, or bandanas, formed a swarm over Garuki's head. He smiled at them, formed one more seal, and they took off in every direction.

"Now what?" asked Katana.

"Well…um, now we wait?" Garuki grinned self-consciously.

Katana, unimpressed, leaned against a tree.

Before I even had time to comment on how manly the butterflies had been, the explosion rocked the clearing.

When the dust settled and my eyes had cleared, I was quite far away from where we had been standing. I didn't know which direction I had been thrown. And I didn't know where the others were.

"Garuki? Sutiibu-san!" I cried out…before clamping my mouth shut and darting into the nearest bush. I had forgotten; when attacked by enemy ninjas, it's best not to attract attention. For the moment, anyway, I was alone.

When we talked over the mission later, the others refused to tell me what happened while we were split up. I can understand why…but I've always wondered what it was like for them.

I had only just sent out my butterfly summons to survey the area when that huge explosion happened. My first thought was whether they were okay; but I figured they would have just ended the technique if they were hurt, so they would be fine. Then I realized just how far the explosion had blown me.

Then, I saw I was alone.

"Katana-san? Hotaru-chan? Are you guys all right?" I called into the smoke and debris, but nobody answered.

I was about to re-summon my butterflies to look for them when I heard the ninja.

Turning, I saw him only for a moment: a ninja of the Hidden Rain. I pulled out a kunai and readied to throw it, but he had disappeared into the snowy trees like some sort of winter chameleon.

All I heard was the laughter – and then I was somewhere else entirely.

I was on my knees. My feet were tied. My arms were held out to either side by some sort of rope…except the rope was invisible. Everything around me took on sick shades of yellow. It looked like a barren desert, but at the same time felt like a tightly enclosed space.

"What…what's going on? What are you doing to me? Where am I?" I demanded, but of course the Rain ninja didn't bother to answer.

I tried remembering everything I could about Rain; their specialties, what techniques they liked best, how best to counter them…but I never had been all that good at remembering things.

"Garuki-chan? Are you all right?"

I looked up. "Grandma Titi? What are you doing here? And look out, there's a Rain ninja!"

She smiled at me oddly. "Don't worry, dear, I brought reinforcements."

I hadn't noticed at first, but on either side of her stood everyone I knew…my parents and family to one side, my friends and favorite instructors on the other.

"Hotaru-chan! You're okay!"

She smiled too, and nodded. "Mmmhmm. Why wouldn't I be?"

I knew then. Something wasn't right.

Then came the first arrow, right into her head.

I gaped, then cried out, but there was nothing I could do. She died before my eyes, and disappeared.

Grandma was still smiling. It was a creepy, distorted smile, not her own. "Garuki-chan, what would you do without us?"

Then the rest of the arrows came. One by one, they pierced straight through everyone I knew, and they fell to the ground before disappearing.

Only Grandma was left now. She shrugged. "Oh, dear. That can't be good…"

Her death was the worst. She was a porcupine before she hit the ground.

Only emptiness remained – that strange, endless desert as enclosed as a coffin.

Darkness fell in the twisted yellow world, until I could see nothing.

I had watched them die before my eyes: anyone who had ever cared for me. I understood it then – there was no one left to rescue me. I was trapped, helpless and at my enemy's mercy, and I was entirely alone.

I cried out, hoping for an answer. None came.

"Tchaah. I bet the kid's butterfly summons gave us away."

That was my first thought, of course. I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it? The boy calls on this really unusual summon, and the first thing that happens is we get blown to pieces.

Well, not to pieces, but you get the point.

Anyway, by the time I had dusted off, the kids were gone.

"Aw, great," I said to the air. "I lost them. Sutiibu-sensei's going to kill me. Or send me back to the freaking Academy, at least."

"I won't send you back, Katana. It wasn't your fault."

I turned. Sure enough, he was standing right there behind me.

"For crying out loud, sensei, do you have to sneak up on me like that? There are enemy ninjas around! I could have accidentally killed you!"

He smiled. "Only if you had noticed me."

How annoying.

And yet…he was right. I should have noticed him there.

"Sensei, do you know where the kids are? Did you see anything while you were scouting?"

He shook his head. "First off, those 'kids' are your teammates, remember that." I rolled my eyes. "Next, well, I can only give you half an answer. I know they are Rain ninjas who attacked you. I don't know how many there are, or what rank. And I don't know where Hotaru and Garuki are, though judging from the explosion pattern, Hotaru shouldn't be too far from here."

I narrowed my eyes. It didn't make sense, not quite. "Sensei…you don't seem too worried."

"I told you, those two can handle themselves. And if they can't…."

"That's it, isn't it! This is the test! You said there wouldn't be one, but this is it!"

"Ah, well, sort of. You are being tested, in the context of a mission. That is, if any one of you doesn't handle yourself well on the mission, you will be sent back to Academy."

I was about to protest the very idea that I was being tested for Genin rank when I had been one for two years already. But then I thought I understood…he had placed us on a B-rank mission, expecting full well that I would pass since I had completed B-rank missions before. The kids, on the other hand, would be challenged.

"Sensei…how do you expect rookies to pass a test like this?"

"You tell me."

_They'll probably both fail,_ I thought. _Maybe he wants them to, for some reason._

"Sensei?"

"Yes, Katana?"

"What happens to me if they both get sent back? You won't really send me back with them, will you?"

"Of course not. Since there are no other Genin teams available, Yukikage would be forced to elevate you to Chuunin rank. But no need to worry about that; with your help, I'm sure those two will be just fine. Now, I'm going to go search for Garuki. You head after Hotaru, all right?" He disappeared.

Suddenly, I wasn't quite so eager to help the rookies.

I was growing panicked. Crawling in the bush, uncertain of the location of either enemy ninjas or my friends, I was scared and confused.

_Why did we have to get split up?_ I cried inwardly. _I haven't got any summons like Garuki, any special ninjutsu like Katana…as far as the examiners were concerned, my techniques weren't even good enough for field use yet. I shouldn't be here!_

I was still in that state of mind when I found Garuki.

He was in a shallow ravine amongst a clearing of trees, exactly in the center, entirely exposed. I rubbed my eyes to see better through the darkness of the tree branches – and had to contain myself from screaming.

I didn't know how he had gotten there or what had happened, but my best friend lay only a hundred feet away from me, bleeding, broken, and dying.

"Garuki-chan!" I screamed.

There couldn't have been a worse situation. I knew I had to stop the bleeding, and fast; but I was the only one who knew where he was, and there was no way I could fight off whatever ninjas were certainly hiding nearby.

_I can't do this alone! How can I save you by myself, when I've always needed you to rescue me?_

Garuki moaned and twitched a bit, then became limp.

"Oh well, I don't care if I die!" I decided, clambering to my feet and grabbing a kunai only as an afterthought as I ran to get to my friend. I knew I couldn't fight off the enemies, but I thought I might at least be able to get Garuki out of there before we were both killed.

Before I got three feet, a hand grasped my ankle and I fell to the ground. Turning sharply, I pulled the kunai on the ninja –

- and scratched Katana across the face.

"Idiot girl," she hissed as she pulled me back under cover, wiping the blood from her cheek. Luckily it was only a shallow wound.

"Katana-san!" I said, breathless. "We have to hurry, Garuki's dying down there, I'm so glad you're here to help…"

"You have no idea," she said dryly. Katana shook her head. "And you're supposed to be the one with a talent for spotting Genjutsu?"

I froze. "Genjutsu?"

"Jeez. You're lucky I decided to look out for you. Here's the deal – _that_ is a Genjutsu, and you almost got yourself killed by walking into a trap."

I could hardly believe the girl who sat before me in the bushes. Those information cards said that her strategy was second best in her class, and that her specialty was detecting and releasing Genjutsu…yet, had I waited a second longer, she would have run headfirst into a Genjutsu and been skewered by one of Rain's famous needle traps.

_The standards at the Academy must have been rather low this year, _was all I could guess at.

"You mean, that's not Garuki down there?" she asked.

"Well, you're the one who dispels Genjutsu. Why don't you dispel the technique and find out?"

She looked out over the ravine, squinted, and took a steadying breath.

"You're right."

"Of course I'm right."

"I can't believe I didn't see it before."

"Neither can I."

She was luckier than she knew. I had been wandering the forest looking for Rain Nins to take out when I found her. Becoming a Chuunin had two requirements; they had to fail, and I had to pass, meaning I still had to do my best. But when I saw her there, I decided to watch. I couldn't believe her stupidity when she dove for the Genjutsu…but what can I say? It wouldn't have been very Chuunin-like to abandon my teammates.

Anyway, it's not like I was going to let her die.

I knew the result…thanks to me, the ignorant little rookies would both get out alive – and considering this mission, getting out alive would probably count as a "Pass" all by itself. So I'd stay a Genin for awhile longer.

It was worth it, I think…I mean, I was angry about the Chuunin Exam results, and I may not have been the most pleasant ninja to work with right about then, but I was still human. I wasn't going to let her jump to her death.

I figured I should do my best to get that boy out of there in one piece too.

"Kai!" shouted Hotaru; the illusion disappeared.

Garuki remained where he was. He was in an odd crouched position with his arms outstretched, but was otherwise unharmed.

Hotaru gave a sigh of relief, then did a double-take and stared down at him. "Katana-san, it was a double Genjutsu!"

"What?" I admit it; I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Look at him…see how it's kind of fuzzy around him? He's still trapped in a Genjutsu himself. That's why he's not moving."

"Hmm. That's not good news. It means the ninja who set the technique must be nearby, and probably knows that we just dispelled one of them."

Hotaru smirked. "I don't think so."

I frowned. "What are you smiling for? This is an awful situation."

"Thanks for waking me up, Katana-san. I can see, now."

I shook my head. "For crying out loud, kid, could you just explain what you mean instead of being all cryptic and crap?"

"You said I was about to fall into a trap, right? Could you elaborate?"

"Sure. I met with Sutiibu-sensei a bit back, and he said the enemies were Rain ninjas. Rain ninjas are famous for their Genjutsu and their needle attacks. Combined they're deadly."

"I figured as much. You're good with wires, right? Well, now that I'm looking, I can see the wires around here. They're set up to spring the trap if I enter the area, aimed at all the edges to attack someone entering from any point. But I wondered, why haven't they killed Garuki yet? I mean, why just leave him here along with a trap to lure others? For that matter, if they knew we'd dispelled the Genjutsu, they should be attacking us."

"Any answers to all those questions?"

"I think we're facing a small group of Rain ninjas – maybe only one spy, or two – and they left this as a trap to catch us while they went off to deal with Sutiibu-sensei, the highest ranked of our group."

I hated to admit it, but she was right – and brilliant, for that matter.

"If that's the case, Hotaru, we should get Garuki out of there and leave right away, before they come back. Can you dispel the genjutsu from him?"

"…I've never had to dispel a Genjutsu placed on someone else before."

Great. The doubtful, scared little rookie chose to come back just when I needed her.

"Maybe if I got up close, I could do it."

"What about the trap?" I asked.

"Well, that's your job," she said. "After all, the trap is made with weapons and wires – your specialty, right?"

I grinned. "Right." I pulled out three kunais and a rather large shuriken, examining the wires around us, already understanding the best way to disarm the trap. "Let's go rescue that friend of yours, then."

I had been alone in that desert of emptiness for days. I was sure of it. My muscles were cramped but the invisible bonds still held, and I couldn't move. Nothing but the decayed yellow landscape surrounded me. I knew it then…there would be no rescue.

I admit it, I despaired for awhile. Without the use of my arms, I couldn't perform jutsus, and obviously no one was coming for me. That aside, there was the simple but vicious solitude of the place. The knowledge that everyone I knew had been killed off.

Part of me recognized Genjutsu, but it didn't matter; while I was in that space, it was real to me.

My deepest fears had been realized. I was trapped and alone. I made up my mind I would be better off dead.

"Please, don't give up."

It was a voice, nothing more, echoing through the expanse. But it was the first sign of existence in what seemed like days.

"Why?" I couldn't even think of anything else to say. That was all – why?

"Because you aren't alone. And because I need you still."

I knew the voice. It was Hotaru's.

I couldn't see her, but I could feel her presence. I remembered the attack – that she must be nearby. She was probably hurt. Likely in trouble.

"I…I have to get out of here."

It started small, and uncertain, but soon my mind was made up.

"She needs me! They all need me! I can't let a stupid Genjutsu tell me otherwise! I need to get out of here!"

The rotten desert disappeared in an instant, image crashing to the ground like a thousand pieces of broken glass. The bonds, too, disappeared as my arms fell to my side and I finally relaxed.

All that remained was the forest outside of Yuki Village, and the faces of my teammates looking down at me.

"Garuki!" Hotaru cried. She grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. I was never much of a fan of hugging…but that time, I didn't mind so much.

Katana was able to disarm the trap easily enough, once I pointed out its weaknesses. A kunai or two manipulated with chakra to cut wires on the other side of the circular trap, a giant shuriken thrown to block the needles from hitting either of us or Garuki when the trap was set off, and moments later I was able to safely rush to Garuki's side.

Try as I might, though, I was unable to dispel the Genjutsu from him. It was obviously an intensely powerful one; I focused all my chakra, formed the seals, and shouted "Kai!" but to no avail. I kept trying, unwilling to give up, but Katana put a hand on my shoulder.

"You should stop, Hotaru-san. You're going to use up all of your chakra. You'll need it to get away from here."

"No…Katana, we can't leave him!"

"We may have to." She shook her head sadly. "If we hurry, we may be able to find Sutiibu-sensei and help him out of whatever situation he's in. If we can bring him here quickly, I'm sure he can get Garuki out of this."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," a male voice said.

We spun, daggers in hand. But for the second time that day, I almost attacked a teammate. Sutiibu-san stood before us.

"Why? Why can't you get him out?" I asked.

"Because that is a special Genjutsu. The reason it is so powerful lies in the fact that it was designed specifically for Garuki-kun. It will continue to hold him captive until he decides otherwise."

Katana shifted uneasily. "Sensei…this isn't right."

"I see you've figured it out, Katana. Well, I apologize and all, but it had to be done…Oh, look!"

Garuki had dropped to the ground, moaning. Then he opened his eyes, looked around, and sat up.

"Garuki!" I knew he didn't appreciate hugs so much, but I couldn't resist. I had thought he was dead.

He hugged me back. "Hotaru-chan. You saved me."

"No, Garuki-kun. You were the only one who could break through that Genjutsu," Sutiibu said nonchalantly. "It was designed that way. Although from the looks if things, it seems reasonable to believe that she helped."

I looked up at him. "Designed?"

He grinned, a smile so wide his teeth shone, and gave us a huge thumbs-up. "Congratulations! You all pass."

He explained it to us later, over ramen. He took us to Ichiraku to celebrate, although until he explained, I had trouble grasping why.

"Of course, I am very sorry," he apologized while we ate. "However, it had to be done that way."

"I still don't get it, Sensei," said Garuki.

Katana was quiet. Finally, she spoke on behalf of Sutiibu. "It was a test, you guys. The whole thing was a set-up. There were no Rain ninjas." She looked at Sensei. "I'm right, aren't I?"

He laughed nervously. "Ah, well, yes, that's right. They were all shadow clones of me, transformed to look like Rain ninjas."

"Why?" I still wondered.

"The Academy Exam wasn't the real test, exactly," Katana explained. "Each of the Jounin must test their own students. If you – actually, if any one of us – failed, we'd be sent straight back to the Academy. Because I was wrong, wasn't I, Sensei? The test was meant for me too."

He nodded, approving smile gleaming in his eye. "That's right. I am sorry, like I said, that I had to hurt you. Both physically- " he looked at the scratch on Katana's cheekbone, "-and mentally." This time, his gaze rested on Garuki. "But I find it best to test each student specifically, based on their greatest weakness. It was Hotaru's older brother who taught me that, actually."

"I understand," I said. "Ryuro-ani was great ninja, and would have passed any team exams you gave, like the bell test I've heard they do in Konoha. But his weakness was his love of life, his peacefulness…"

"…and only when his courage was tested directly, in a _real_ battle, was that weakness uncovered. That is why he failed. That is why I had to test you each in the way I did."

I nodded and drank the rest of my soup from the bowl.

_I think I understand,_ I thought. _I think I know what my test was. But what about those two?_

"Sensei," I asked when I finished, "can you tell me what specifically you were testing in each of us?"

He smiled. "No, Hotaru-chan. I tested you each based on what I knew to be your greatest weakness. Normally that would be something that the entire team should know. But in this case, each of you passed the test flawlessly, given the time to think it over. That shows me that even your greatest weaknesses will not be a problem from now on. So I feel no need to point them out."

It made sense. However, I've still always wondered how the others were tested.

"Clearly, you will all work well together as a team. You will possibly be the best team I've ever had. Now, since you are all officially Genin, shall we go get our team photo taken?"

I keep a copy of that photo on my bedside stand to this day.


End file.
